What is Metabolic Flexibility?

The best way to describe metabolic flexibility is to think of a gymnast who can contort her body effortlessly. This is what happens inside your body when your body can use whatever fuel is available to get you through your day.  No food coming in?  No problem.  When you have metabolic flexibility your body simply switches to the fat that is stored inside your body.  If you are carrying extra pounds and you have metabolic flexibility you can start skipping meals without the sensation that you are starving.  Your brain doesn't even bother to send you hunger signals.  How cool is that?

Before you run off and become an olympic gymnast overnight, slow down and take this in baby steps.  Maybe try a "Caveman Food Experiment" I've shared in previous posts.  Another idea is to slowly cut out all the sugar in your food intake.  Flexibility happens best when done gradually.  Get your brain to cooperate with you.  When the food intake is curtailed, your brain will begin to adapt.  Do this intentionally and you will bend like no other.  You will look better, feel better, and get your friends to jump on the metabolic flexibility train headed to improved healthy.  Have a great day.

Writing in the Joy Zone

 It's challenging to pinpoint the exact time I entered the "Joy Zone."  It's much different from my early years when the joy was mostly limited to time with my cousins, especially when on the concrete tennis courts at SHS with the one who is two months and five days younger than me.  Another cousin I'm fond of finds a way to share his joy in his lyrics south of the border where he deported himself in search of a new life.

Here's an interesting thought.  Some of the best writing in the Bible comes from people who weren't exactly in a good place while they were writing.  Who in their right mind writes joyfully when locked up in a prison cell?  Maybe the explanation is out of this world.  All I can say is my wife shared this morning about how she put our new shredder to work yesterday while I was at my day job.  "All of the documents from our lawsuits are gone now," she said with a big smile on her face.  She went on to thank me for all my efforts keeping us one step ahead of the lawyers who were eager to fund their retirement from my alleged mishaps.  They were laser focused on making an example of anyone who dared stand up to them in court.  My wife shred the documents because she felt it was time to put our experience in the past.  Yes, the experience was pure hell.  The good news is we won.  I did something the big guys never expected.  I asked for proof.  The judge agreed.  The big guys were threatened with contempt of court if the documents weren't produced within ten days.  Only God knows where those documents were located.  Maybe they never existed.  I will share more about this in the book.  

I'm in my home office all day today and tomorrow working on "Live Long and Prosper."  Although some of the chapters occurred during the lowest points of my life, I can say from the bottom of my heart that I'm in the "Joy Zone" as I'm recalling painful experiences.  Even my laptop seems to be in harmony with my fingers.  When I typed, "Live Long and Prosper," an image of Spock's hand gesture magically appeared on my MacBook Pro.  Remember this?: 🖖 May you Live Long and Prosper and may you will be filled with joy even when you may carry memories of challenging experiences or you may be dealing with unpleasant circumstances in your life.  Have a great day.

Ragbrai 50th Anniversary Route Announced

*** Breaking News***

The 50th Anniversary Ragbrai Route is set.  It runs right through the neighborhood at my day job.  Yep.  Coralville, Iowa is one of the stopovers for this special 50th Anniversary ride across my home state.  Thousands of bikers from all over the world participate in this annual event.

Last year I adopted Giovanna, a used bike that was loved and well-cared for by one of my day jobs friends, Steve, who passes out the free samples.  Giovanna has been waiting patiently in the garage for the snow season to pass so we can get reacquainted again.

I have a feeling that if I participate in Ragbrai this year it will resemble a partial ride similar to last year.  I really like the idea of camping out in Coralville.  The ride ends at the Mississippi River near Davenport where we opened another day job location.  

I'm thankful for my Ragbrai teammates who helped me last year.  We rode together and camped together for a couple of nights.  It was one of my best experiences ever.  Stay tuned for more about this adventure.  Have a great day.

Faith, The Final Frontier

If you are a believer, on a one to ten scale, how would you rate your faith?  If you happen to be on the outside of Christianity, is there a particular reason you do not believe?  I ask this because I believe faith is the final frontier.  My hope is that you are open to at least exploring the idea that there is a God.  If you have followed me during these 13+ years of blogging, you know a few things about me.  Number one, I'm not really qualified to do what I do.  Number two, even though I did my best to avoid becoming a writer, I believe there are forces more powerful than me who nudged me to begin blogging.  Number three, I'm willing to share my life with you as long as I keep loved ones out of the spotlight.  By now you understand that my faith is important to me and living my faith is what drives me every morning when I get out of bed.

My hope for you is that we can get even more personal.  Perhaps faith has seemed like science fiction to you.  Maybe you had a bad experience with someone who is a believer.  Maybe you felt like I did during my teenage years when I naively thought, yes there is a God but he is most certainly too busy to care about me or answer my prayers.  Who in their right mind wants to follow a God who doesn't really seem to care?  I get it.  Maybe that's why I'm the right person for you to chat with about who God is and how your relationship with God can be life-changing.  

I have a feeling that "Live Long and Prosper" may be a good starting point.  I believe this because I happen to be someone who believes with all my heart there is a loving God who wants to be with you forever.  The real science fiction is the world we currently live in.  It is dominated by the Fallen Ones, the same ones who are fighting with everything they have to keep you away.  My life has not been easy.  You already know this from my stories.  I'm going even deeper in my next book.  Many times I have thrown chapters in the trash.  Why?  Maybe it's a bit challenging to share some of my most embarrassing moments.  Maybe I'm striving for perfection and this is impossible.  

Faith is the final frontier.  I'm going to share my faith with you for one reason – I want to invite you to have what I have.  I'm attempting to do this in a non-offensive way that may help you get closer to our Creator.  If you are open to exploring what being a follower of Jesus is all about, or if you are believer and you want to go deeper, please consider reading "Live Long and Prosper."  There will be three main topics of discussion – food, finances, and faith.  You can decide what is science fiction and what is real to you.  I will be here to answer any questions you may have.  Have a great day.

Do You Have Food Goals?

The other day I wrote about the 80/20 rule for owning your vehicle(s).  80% of Americans make car payments.  While it may not seem like a big deal, when it comes to financial health, it is a big deal.  The same is true with your health.  The statistics are even worse than 80/20.  In fact, it's more like 97/3.  97% of Americans are unhealthy.  What do the 3% do to qualify as healthy?  Today's story is probably going to sting a bit because the odds are that you are in that 97% category.  If you are serious about making changes, read on.

Before I go any further, I must admit that I was once in that 97% category even though I was trying to do a lot of things right.  My problem was what was going on inside my body that others couldn't see.  I was suffering from food related inflammation.  That's why this is an important topic for me.  It doesn't help that every time I turn around someone close to me in my age group has passed away.  What's causing all of this unhealthiness?  I will explore this topic in greater detail in "Live Long and Prosper."  Rather than wait for the book, here is the Reader's Digest version in today's story.

Your healthy lifestyle begins with food goals.  You always have two choices when it comes to filling up your shopping cart.  You can select foods with a label or foods without a label.  Foods with a label most likely have artificial ingredients and/or contain processed foods.  Make your first food goal to be eating only foods without a label.  

This next one is really going to sting.  You were most likely raised on three meals a day.  If you really want to go big on getting healthy, rearrange your meal schedule.  Do this gradually so you don't have an all out rebellion on your hands.  Start slow.  Cut out lunch once in a while.  Let your body think a famine is around the corner.  It will cooperate and start making adjustments.  You may find that fat around your belly is shrinking.  Keep going.  See if you can perhaps skip two meals in a row once in a while.  Your body can handle this is if you don't give up.

Lastly, say goodbye to dessert.  Say goodbye to sugar.  Do this consistently and you are on your way to that 3% category of Americans who are in the healthy category.  I'm cheering for you to Live Long and Prosper.  Have a great day.

Are You On the Same Page in Your Relationships?

Think how lonely the world would be if you were the only one in it.  We need companions.  Sometimes our relationships can be rocky.  What really matters is how we relate to those in our inner circle.  I've been married for thirty-three years.  We are approaching a significant milestone next month.  My wife happens to be thirty-three days away from retirement.  Her page – retirement, is different from my page.  Assuming my mind and body keep functioning properly, I'm working another 7 years, 5 months, and 10 days.  My retirement page from my day job will be finalized on 7/5/30, one day after my 70th birthday.  

Those on the outside who don't know my wife and me may think retiring so far apart may cause conflict.  I see it a different way.  In fact, these last ten years living in the Midwest has kept both of us off the same page when it comes to days off.  My wife has banker's hours and I have retail hours.  With the exception of Holidays and vacations, we have been living in different pages.  Her retirement will allow us to be together on the same days when I'm off.  We made it ten years on different pages.  Seven years to go until we are on the same page every day.  

How about you?  Are your pages in alignment with the most important people in your life?  If not, what can you do to increase your harmony?  Think about it.  Have a great day. 

Writing in the Sand Box

 Ask any accomplished musician how he or she managed to get to an expert level and I have a feeling they will share about their daily practice sessions.  Scales.  More scales.  And more scales.  The same is true with professional athletes.  Each sport has its own name but it all comes down to the same thing – practice, practice, and more practice.  Spring training.  Minor leagues.  Preseason.  Drills. Drills.  And more drills.  Is it any different in the writing world?  Heck no.  I call my drill sessions as time in the sand box.  Most days I have no idea what I'm creating.  Most of the time it's about honing my skills.  These nearly 5,000 blog stories are my daily drill sessions.  There seems to be one common thread.  Lessons.  I'm sharing life lessons.  Sometimes it's not pretty.  My life is full of mistakes.  In my heart, I do believe sharing these past failures will add some entertainment value as well as help others avoid repeating some of my past blunders.

One cannot find their voice in this world without consistent daily effort.  Once found, this voice needs refinement.  I don't think Michelangelo carved a masterpiece out of his first slab of rock.  If he did, God bless him.  I do have one thing going for me and that is something called inspiration.  I'm willing to do the daily scales.  I'm willing to attend Spring training.  Above all, I'm willing to fail and keep trying.  I'm also willing to share.  I'm on the precipice now.  The fog is lifting.  Stay with me.  It's going to be an interesting year.  Have a great day.

The 80/20 Car Buying Rule

When it comes to buying your next new or used vehicle, you are in one of two groups.  Odds are you are in the 80% group who finance their ride.  This is costly.  Those in the 20% category who pay cash are on their way to financial security.  If you are in the 20% category, pat yourself on the back.  If not, let's look at a couple of points that may help you change your ways and help you sleep better at night.

Who is it that you want to take care of in your retirement years?  Keep in mind that giving interest to the banks takes away from money that could be funding your retirement.  Car payments help your banker enjoy better vacations and a happy retirement.  Why not use that car payment to increase your contributions to your 401k?

I know people who tell me car payments are part of life.  It doesn't have to be this way.  20% of the population figured out how to live without car payments.  Sure, some don't even bother to own a vehicle.  They take the bus or ride share.  Others, like me, go for the older vehicles and pay cash.  The truth about cars is they depreciate the moment you drive them off the lot.  The average car payment is $576 per month.  Most loans last for 70 months.  That makes the true cost of your vehicle a whopping $40,320.  If the average life expectancy in the US is approximately 70 years and you finance your first ride at 18 and then keep your car payments every time you buy a new vehicle, that means you gave up $359,424 of money that could have gone to your retirement.  Add the stress of carrying all that debt and you are probably headed to an early grave.  No bueno.

What would happen if you instead paid cash for your vehicle like the 20% of the population that wants to be debt free and invested that money for your retirement?  Using the rule of 72 (72 divided by interest rate = time to double your money) you can determine how quick you can double your money.  Anyone can easily become a millionaire in their lifetime when they pay themselves every month rather than the banks.

Decide today that you want to join the 20% of the population that lives without car payments.  Have a great day.

The Losers in the Resurrection Story

 Jesus died.  Everyone agrees about this.  The Romans.  The Jews.  Pontius Pilate.  Mary, Mother of Jesus.  The entire population of Jerusalem.  The story gets muddled when it comes to the Resurrection.  Let's look at this from the point of view of the people who stood to lose if the body disappeared.  In my opinion, the Romans had the most to lose.  They were in power.  They wanted to keep their power.  If you were in charge, wouldn't you do everything to keep that dead body in the tomb?  Wouldn't you put your best people around the tomb to prevent a theft of the dead body?  These Roman guards were burned alive if one fell asleep during guard duty.  Odds are that these guards stayed awake.

Who else would be considered a loser if the body was stolen?  How about the Pharisees who believed Jesus was a false Messiah?  Yep.  A stolen body would lead to all kinds of chaos.  Their power over the Jews would be threatened.  They urged the Romans to post guards at the tomb to prevent them from turning into losers.

There is a third group who would be considered losers if that dead body disappeared.  This group is still active today.  This group celebrated when Jesus was crucified.  They thought they won.  Like the Romans and the Pharisees, a missing body would challenge the power they have in this world.  In my opinion, this third group got bamboozled.  They knew better than anyone on the planet who Jesus is.  How incredible it must have been to see Jesus descend into their dark world and set all the dead people free.  The breakout was massive.  Death lost its power.  Boom.  The dark side lost.  

There may be a great number of people who refuse to believe Jesus rose from the dead.  I believe all the evidence you need is right in front of you should you choose to seek.  I also believe you will find the answers.  Start with the empty tomb.  Ask yourself why it was empty on the third day as Jesus predicted.  Ask yourself why the Romans couldn't stop the body from disappearing.  Most importantly, ask yourself what a resurrection means to you.  What changes in your life when you realize death has no power over you?  The losers in the resurrection story don't want you to consider these questions.  Consider one more thing.  Jesus not only promised he would come back from the dead, he also promised he will come back one more time.  Which side will you be on when that happens?  Have a great day.

Date Night in the Snow

We did it.  The snow began during our company party.  We stayed until they announced the door prizes.  I was hoping to win the fire pit and the luck of the Irish prevailed.  We managed to get home on the icy roads just before midnight.  Time for worship.  Have a great day.  Be safe on those icy roads.

Date Night Tonight

My wife and I have date night tonight.  It's our annual Holiday Party at my day job.  The employee club is sponsoring a night filled with great entertainment and over the top door prizes.  We have been restricted in our events due to a couple of years of challenging times related to the pandemic.  It will be fun to get out and spend quality time together.  Life is good.  Have a great day.

YouTube Saves the Day

My favorite mechanic has retired from auto repairs.  That means I'm doing things on my own, like changing headlight bulbs and batteries.  If you are mechanically inclined, congratulations.   That's a wonderful gift, one that I seem to be lacking.  Thank God for YouTube videos.  I'm feeling bold every time I watch one of these videos, like today when I needed to change a bulb for my headlight.  These videos are lifesavers.  

Not only do these videos work well for auto repairs, I'm also using YouTube for my book research.  How about you?  Have you ever tried YouTube for learning how to do certain tasks?  I'm headed to my day job confident that I will be able to see when the next storm hits.  Have a great day.

What is the Sudarium of Oviedo All About?

 There is a lot of talk about the Shroud of Turin and if it is a fake or the real deal.  Carbon dating seems to disprove the authenticity because the tests don't seem to line up properly.  If you haven't heard about the shroud, it's a garment that may be the burial cloth of Jesus.  In my opinion, the Sudarium of Oviedo is just as fascinating.  If you want to know more about the Sudarium, click here for the link.

I discovered an interview with a doctor about the Shroud and its mysteries.  Check it out and see for yourself if this may be authentic.  

One of the reasons why I'm curious about the Sudarium of Oviedo has to do with its location.  Oviedo, Spain is not far from my mother's ancestors who are from Rubalcaba.  Oviedo and Rubalcaba are both near the place where the oldest recoverable DNA was found in La Braña caves.  If you have seen the cover of my book, "The Caveman in the Mirror," that face is the same face on the caveman who haunted me in my dreams while I was penning my novel.  All I can say is this whole journey is "Fascinating."  Is all of this real?  Decide for yourself.  Have a great day.

Are You Stuck in a Maze?

 

Have you ever felt like you're stuck in some kind of a maze?  Maybe you feel like each day is reliving yesterday and the day before.  If so, how do you get out?  In my opinion, the best way out is to try new things.  It's really easy to trap yourself.  Getting out is not so easy because it requires change.  Resistance to change is human.  When the desire to get out of your maze is stronger than your fear of trying something new, that's when the fun begins.  

This happened to me eleven years ago.  My family was ready to explore life outside of our maze.  Perhaps the maze was more like a bubble.  I didn't really recognize that my maze was a trap and I was simply reliving my days until I escaped.  Was it scary to break out?  Yes.  Was it worth it?  Yes.  I couldn't see past the bubble.  Perhaps my maze was like a security blanket.  I let go.  I'm free.  So is my family.  

What would you do with your life is you suddenly found yourself outside the artificial walls that are holding you back?  Maybe today is a good day to plan your escape.  Have a great day.

Tornado Touches Down Near Home

It came out of nowhere.  Both our cell phones chimed at the same time indicating a weather alert.  The warning said to take cover immediately.  I opened up the curtains to our walkout basement to a stunning view of black skies.  The whole event lasted no more than ten minutes and life returned to normal.  This is how it is in the Midwest.  One minute sunshine.  The next minute a tornado.   Our humidity is at 96% today but temps are above freezing so no snow for now.  No injuries were reported during our extreme weather event.  We are marking ourselves safe.  Have a great day.

Family Day Today

 I'm super thankful to share a day off with my wife today.  It's a rainy day and we will pretty much be indoors.  Inspiration is building within to complete my books.  It's slow and steady but the rhythm is soothing as I see progress.  Now it's time to have quality family time and enjoy this day.  Have a great day.

It's Time to do the Work

 Our family is now recovered from the flu and we're ready to do the work.  I'll share more about what's ahead soon.  For now, I need to get to our house of worship and thank God for restoring our health.  Last week at this time I couldn't even get out of bed.  What a difference this week.  Have a great day.

Happy Saturday

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  Our household is back to good health, the sun is shining, and Spring is just around the corner.  I'm headed to my day job.  It's inventory weekend so many of my teammates will be working late hours.  Some will still be working when the sun comes up.  Fortunately, this only happens twice a year.  I will be tending to the business and will be off the inventory rotation.  That means regular hours for the weekend.  I'm especially thankful for this because my body needs time to fully recover from whatever attacked us.  Have a great day.

Friday the 13th

If you're feeling superstitious, today may be lucky or unlucky for you.  If you stay home you will certainly miss out on what could be an exciting day.  Go outside and something unexpected may or may not happen.  What's it going to be?  

Another way to look at this day is to consider two options – opportunities and missed opportunities.  It's like playing Let's Make a Deal with Monty Hall.  Behind any curtain is something unexpected.  Choose opportunity (any door) and you get something.  Pass on the deal and you end up with missed opportunities.  Whatever you do, don't let superstition get in your way.  Deal?  Have a great day.

Gratitude Check

Nothing about this year has been business as usual.  That's okay with me.  There was a serious bug going around my wife's office and she got sick on the first day of the New Year.  The day she was better I caught her bug and went down for the count.  Now it's the week of inventory at my day job and my schedule is rearranged.  I would normally be working today but I get the day off to celebrate my improved health.  It's gratitude check day.

I was on the phone with my mother this morning doing something exciting... setting up her itinerary for her first Iowa visit.  She's going big.  If everything works out, we will be with her for a month.  There are endless opportunities to explore the area around us.  Does is get any better than having your health and quality time with loved ones?  I'm still grinning ear to ear from all the family time we had together before the crud struck.  Thankfully, this was after the family went home.  

Hug your loved ones today.  Spend time with those who are precious to you.  Ponder all the blessings in your life.  I am thankful for you.  Have a great day.

Thankful to Rejoin the Living

I'm happy to report I cruised through a full shift yesterday at my day job.  Energy levels are slowly picking up.  My mind is starting to function close to normal.   I'm thankful to rejoin the living.  Your prayers and good thoughts helped me get through this.  Thanks for bearing with me.  I promise there will be greater variety in future stories.  Have a great day.

Out of the House Today

 Here's a summary of my life since Friday...Bedroom.  Bathroom.  Bedroom. Bathroom.  Repeat countless times.  I made it to the kitchen a couple of times.  We watched a new Chosen episode on Sunday and back to bed at 7:30pm.  My energy seemed to be sapped from my body.  The fever broke last night and I'm slowly returning to my healthy state.  I'm making an attempt to help out at my day job this morning.  The jury is out on how my mind and body will perform.  If you could keep me in your prayers, that would be awesome.  Have a great day.

Day 3 Sick

 The good news is I have a scheduled day off from my day job.  The bad news is I'm still sick.  I hope to be back to the land of the living tomorrow.  Today is all about hydration and sleep.  Have a great day.

Day 2 Sick

 I picked up my phone and called the sick line at my day job for day two.  Whatever I have it's kicking my butt.  Two minutes after hanging up our youngest son sent out a text warning us about dangerous road conditions.  The fog rolled in turning all the roads into ice skating rinks.  There was a 30 car pileup on the interstate and two fatalities were reported on the scene.  Perhaps my illness is meant to be.  Have a great day.

Sick Day Today

 I'm home sick today.  Hopefully I will be better tomorrow.  Have a great day.

More Please Needed for 2nd Teammate

 My team at my day job is small.  We stick together.  When devastation strikes, we look out for each other.  Yesterday I shared about one of my teammates losing her husband.  When I got to work I discovered a second teammate lost her husband after midnight yesterday.  Please keep Tina and Joni in your prayers.  Also, please pray for my teammates who are doing their best to carry the load.  This is certainly a challenging time and your prayers are much appreciated.  Have a great day.

Prayers for a Teammate, Please

 

Please pray for Tina Grace, my day job teammate who lost her husband, John, last night.  I don't know any details.  This is one of the most loving couples I know.  We sat together at our last employee club outing, a live showing of the Price is Right.  Words cannot describe what Tina is going through right now.  Please keep Tina in your prayers during this difficult time.  Also, keep my teammates in your prayers.  This is a caring group but we are getting stretched super thin due to unbelievable growth and outside circumstances that prevent us from being fully staffed.  We need to come together and help each other during these challenging times.  Tina, we are here for you.  Condolences.  

Unexplained Near Death Experiences

 I have had five near death experiences in my life.  Not the kind I'm writing about today where I lost consciousness and drifted out of my body.  I never did that but at times I was hearing the fat lady humming a few bars.  The first close call happened during high school.  There were four passengers in my '71 VW Super Beetle.  There was a gas leak and the engine caught fire.  We put it out right away and I managed to seal up the gas line with a rag before getting back on the road.  Stupid, stupid, stupid move.  The engine caught fire again.  I shut off the ignition as we were headed over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic toward a cliff.  It was the first time I yelled out one of my most fervent prayers while trying to unlock the steering wheel before certain death.

Another time I was playing a repelling game on our mountain near our childhood home.  I reached the end of the rope while in midair and stumbled down the mountain.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Many of you know about the accident on ice nearly five years ago.  That was the closest near death experience although I never lost consciousness.  The fourth and fifth near death experiences are related to my next two books.  I can't tell you how many times I've tossed entire chapters into the trash.  The pandemic ended Wilson's travel experiences and stopped me dead in my tracks while "Live Long and Prosper" hit its own troubles.  It turns out that near death experiences in my personal life and my writing life will be featured in both books.  These experiences are fodder for my books.  What about unexplained near death experiences that others have?  Are they real?  Can they be explained?

In case you're wondering why I'm interested in this subject, I have a thought to share with you.  In my opinion, it's really challenging to write about living long and prospering when death is always in the shadows lurking.  Death is the elephant in the room.  I'm still trying to shake my own memories of near death from my mind especially when road conditions get nasty this time of year and my vehicle turns into a sled on wheels.  Perhaps there is some relief offered when I hear about what other people experience after they flatline.  Some argue that these encounters are merely a shutting down of the brain.  What can't be explained is when a blind person recalls with acute awareness various events that he or she witnessed while the brain was not functioning.  How can a blind person from birth who is dead see?  When these people are revived and they share their experiences and they can be verified, how does one explain that?  If you're asking me for answers, I don't have any.  All I can say is "Fascinating."  In human terms, I have one more word – "illogical."  That's all I have for today.  It's time to get ready for my day job.  File this story under the unexplained category and have a great day.  By the way, it's 32º outside and the roads are icy.  Yikes!

Can God and Science Be Separated?

Buckle your seatbelts.  Today's story is over the top.  If you believe in science but do not believe in God, consider this video below.  It's loaded with science.  It's not the science I studied in high school.  I'm dedicating this to two people.  The first is my mother who loves great thinkers.  The second is my best friend, Wayne, from high school who won the science award at Sunnyslope where we spent four years together before he joined the dark side and became a wildcat.

Take a look at this story and decide for yourself if this guy is for real.  Here is the link.  Have a great day.

Find the Fire Within

I started one new thing yesterday and that's it for the year.  New things are great except for one thing – if they crowd out your list of important objectives, they can hurt you.  My book projects have been on the back burner so long they may be growing mold.  No bueno.  That's why this year I'm concentrating on old things. It's time to find the fire within and crank up the heat.

How does one find the fire within?  In my opinion, it has to do with finding the reason why you get up in the morning.  The more compelling the reason, the better your odds of completing your tasks.  I find a great deal of inspiration from following Jesus.  The more I understand who Jesus is and why he loves us so much, especially the ones who feel lost and alone, the more my desire grows to follow in his footsteps.  Jesus has a special place in his heart for the children.  If a child is sick, Jesus is reaching out to help that sick kid and any family members who are the caregivers.  If I can wake up every morning and think about those kids who are in hospitals fighting for their lives, maybe I can find a way to set my spirit within on fire and actually do something that can make a difference.  Maybe I can pass along some lessons I learned to my readers and use the proceeds from these books to make a difference.  That's my why.  What's yours?  It's time to get busy.  Have a great day.

Happy New Year

I'm still catching my breath from 2022.  Oh, what a year.  These calendar flips are getting faster and faster.  Good thing I'm following David Sinclair's protocols for molecule boosts so I can find a way to keep up with a gazelle-like intensity that Dave Ramsey touts to his followers.  If you woke up with a hangover this morning like at least one person pictured here from our most recent adventure, consider this your wake-up call to a fresh new year filled with abundant opportunities.  I'm going to step out of my comfort zone for a moment and share some thoughts about how I'm using my calendar flip to change a few things in my life.

My wife will probably shoot me for sharing this.  We're connected at the hip through 33 years of marriage and any choice she makes with her life impacts my life.  Drum roll, please... My wife will be retired two months from today.  She paid her dues.  She inspired me to pursue a debt-free life which we accomplished last year on St. Patrick's Day.  My wife inspires me to be the best version of myself I can be and I love her with all my heart.  She is ready to live like no one else and wake up every morning with a blank slate.  I will continue to be the worker bee and gather enough honey to pursue our number one passion – travel.  Some of you have been asking, "What about you, Michael?  When are you going to retire?"  God willing, I will be retiring on my 70th birthday on the 4th of July, 2030.  That's when my "Vulcan itch" of 7 years, 6 months, and 6 days (two leap year days are included in the calculation) will be at its highest point for living the travel dream and I will sign off from one of the most fascinating day job experiences of my life.  

I would like to reach out and thank a couple of readers for their tenacity regarding this blog.  It must be quite a challenge for you to visit here every single day and see all these words Mike Mulligan has been shoveling with his steamshovel, Mac (as in MacBook Pro).  Time for another drum roll coming up on May 3, 2023... my oh my, 5,000 daily stories and still going, hopefully until Mac and I run out of stories and I reach my expiration date.

If you've made it this far in the story, I have a bonus announcement.  It's our next travel adventure.  My mother plans to visit Iowa for her first time since she attended our Parnell wedding in the summer of '89.  I asked her to stay long enough for a road trip.  If your names are Harry and Helen (Mulligan) Stark, surprise! We're crashing your place when you return from your annual Valley of the Sun trip.  If all goes well, we'll spend the day with you and stay overnight before heading up to Duluth to see mom's favorite spiritual guru.  

I don't have an answer for those who keep asking, "When are your next books coming out?"  What I can say is I'm making progress with the twins.  I may not be going at warp speed but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Pray for me.  I would really like to share "Live Long and Prosper" and "The Adventures of Castaway Wilson" with you before the next calendar flip.  I will have my newly retired wife at my side to be my accountability partner for the twins.  

Pursue your goals one day at a time and don't give up.  Happy New Year!